Canard aux Mûres et...Canard aux Mûres et Purée de Panais à la Vanille

An elegant French masterpiece featuring perfectly seared, lavender-honey glazed duck breast served alongside a silky vanilla-infused parsnip purée, earthy sautéed chanterelles, and a rich, glossy blackberry-Port wine reduction.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   To make the purée, combine parsnips, milk, heavy cream, and the scraped vanilla bean (pod and seeds) in a saucepan. Simmer over medium-low heat until parsnips are completely tender, about 20 minutes. Remove the vanilla pod, then blend the mixture in a high-speed blender until silky smooth. Whisk in 20g of cold butter, season with salt, and pass through a fine chinois. Keep warm.

2. 02

   Score the duck breast skin in a tight crosshatch pattern without cutting into the flesh. Season generously with salt and pepper. Place the breasts skin-side down in a cold, dry skillet over medium-low heat. Render the fat slowly for 10-12 minutes, pouring off excess fat as it accumulates, until the skin is beautifully golden and thin.

3. 03

   Flip the duck breasts and cook for another 3-4 minutes until medium-rare (internal temperature of 54°C/130°F). Brush the skin with lavender honey and dust with ground lavender. Remove from heat and let rest on a warm board for 8 minutes before carving.

4. 04

   For the reduction, sauté minced shallots in 1 tablespoon of rendered duck fat in a small saucepan. Pour in the Port wine and thyme sprig, scraping up the pan fond. Reduce by half. Add the duck stock and 100g of blackberries, simmering until the sauce is rich and coat-the-back-of-a-spoon thick. Strain through a fine sieve, return to low heat, and whisk in the remaining 30g of cold cubed butter to emulsify. Season to taste.

5. 05

   Sauté the chanterelles in a tablespoon of butter with the smashed garlic for 3-4 minutes until golden. Discard the garlic and season with salt and fresh chervil.

6. 06

   To plate, slice the duck breasts at an angle. Swipe a ribbon of warm parsnip-vanilla purée across each plate, arrange the duck slices elegantly over it, scatter the sautéed chanterelles and reserved fresh blackberries, and spoon the glossy blackberry-Port reduction around the plate. Finish with a touch of fleur de sel.